Stocking



Patented Apr. 1 7, 1923 j i UNETEDSTATES cam. LOVEN, or roMLANn, cameri;

STOCKING.

Application filed February 16, 1922. Serial No. 537,044.

4 To all whom it may cancer n:

Be it known that CARL LovEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of'Multnomah and State of Oregon, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stockings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a stocking and more particularly to one designed to prevent the deformity of the forward end of the foot and to counteract the tendency of shoes to rowd together the five toes of the human The object of the invention is the'provision of a stocking which will be lacking in any tendency to deforn the foot or to crowd together the five toes thereof. i A further object is to provide a stocking of special shape conforning to the Outline of the foot, as it should naturally be. A further object is to provide a stocking with a positive spacing element between the big toe and the four lesser toes. A still further object is the provision of a gusset in a two-pocket stocking between the big toe and the-four lesser toes in a: manner to avoid any injury to the foot and .to locate the attaching stitching in a line where it will not be pressed by the shoe upon the foot. i

Other'objects and advantages of the invention will -hereinafter appear in the following description and the novel features thereofwill be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.-

In the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts through the several figures,

Figure 1 is a erspective view of a human foot clothed wit myimproved stocking and showing in dotted lines the spread position of the toes as the should naturally be when the toe portion o the foot is placed upon the ground in the act of placing the weight of the body thereon, A

Figura 2 is a plan view of the toe portion of a foot with my stocking applied, and

Figura 3 is a plan of the gusset which I use as a spacing element between the big toe andthe toe next thereto.

In describing my invention I shall first set forth clearly the tendency to deform and crowd the toes of the human foot, which it is the purpose of my invention'to overcome or counteract, after which a detailed description of the stocking will be given. It will be appreciated that the invention may be emi bodied in various forms, but the specific embodiment shown and 'described has been found to be practical in operation.

In this country has arisen a custom of wearing pointed shoes, particularly among women. In my experience as a chiropodist I have by means of X-ray photographs and otherwise noted the deformity of the foot brought about by this form of shoe, such deformity in many cases resulting in the bringing of the outer ends of all of the toes of the human-foot into a single straight line, which can only be accomplished by the bending out of line of the two firstjoints of the bones of 'the foot representedby the big toe and a like bending' out of line of the first two joints of the foot represented by the smallest toe and the' one next to it. It will be apprer ciated that the natural position' of these bones of the foot is -in straight lines without the bending of 'any of the joints;

Manufacturers ofstockings have followed the lead of shoe manufacturers and made stockings' with pointed toes. The wearing of such a shoe and stocking or such a stocking alone produces the deformity of the foot as described. The purpose of my invention is to overcome and counteract this tendency toward deformity. My stocking has therefore bee-n' specially designed for use with shoes with 'a more natural toe formation, which it may be noted has of` late years come into 'uses It may also be used advantageously with shoes of the pointed toe variety wherein it maintains in spaced relationship the big toje from the remaining toes. It is particularly advantageous with house slippers or walking without other foot wear,

when it efl'ectually 'maintains the 'big toe* from the lesser toes and permits all of the toes to assume their natural position.

It will be appreciated that the natural position of the four lesser toes is that of close association, and` individual stalls therefor are' not necessary or dcsirable. Spacing of all the toes by individual stalls would produce an undesirable spacing efi'ect, since the shoes used would crowd the toes at' their outer ends and the stalls would tend to spread them apart at their second joints, resulting in joint deformities, crooked toes with all its evil of ingro'wing toe-nails, co-ns.

etc., because of the delicate bony structure of the four lesser toes. Nature has not provided suflicient space for stalls between any of the four lesser toes and no spreading of ficulties outlined above by dividing the hose tion of the stocking.

or stocking into two pockets at its toe por- `on, one for the big toe and the other for the lesser toes, thus making a division where nature has made allowance for the same.`

Greater support is obtained from the big toe in maintaining body equilibrium, in standing and in walking than from the four lesser toes.

The toe portion of the stockng s divided into two pockets 10 and 11, the former designed to receive the big toe and the latter to receive the four lesser toes. Each of these pockets has its peculiar formation. The sngle toe pocket is formed wth ts outer wall 12 as a continuation in a straight line of the associated portion 13 of the foot por- The pocket 11 has its outer portion or wall 14 forned in a slight curve conforming tothe natural curvature of that portion of the foot and the smallest toe which it covers. The forward wall of the pocket is similarly curved between the points indicated by the numerals 15 and 16, so that there is no tendency 'in the and shape of this pocket to either crowd or spread the four lesser toes, but rather it allows these four toes to lie in their natural Contacting position.

Tt will be understood that the inner portions or walls of the two pockets may be formed as an integral part of the stocking or it may be formed by providing a slit at this point. Tn either event, I propose to use the giisset or crotch piece 17 to bound or constitute the inner walls of the pockets 10 and 11. The gusset is shown as attached to the pockets by a line of stitching 18. It acts as a spacer, as a reinforce and as an elastic to spread these walls of the pockets apart.

It will be seen that T have produced a stocking accomplishing certain definite re sults without at the same time having to increase the Width of shoe with which it is worn so that the heel thereof would be unduly large, as would the case if a fivepocket toe portion we employed. In my stocking the big toe is not only permitted to strai hten out to its natural position on weight earing, but it is even induced or compelled to do so by the pressure of the gusset. An movement of the wall 12 out of a straight line will be resisted by the gusset form' n which will have to be distorted from its position in which it was applied to the stocking and shown in Figure 2. Furthermore the gusset has a tendency to assume a wider or more open position than that shown and hence tends to maintain the straight line position of the wall 12 of the pocket 10. lt will also be appreciated that the special curvature of the forward wall 15-16 of the pocket 11 gives perfect freedom for the lesser toes and yet prevents any crowding of the toes when the foot is placed in the shoe.

It will be obvious that while the gusset has been shown as separate from the stocking it may be made as a part thereof by double knitting at this point, and that it may be made of fabric which is inherently elastic if so desired. V

Having described my inventiton, what T claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A stpcking having its toe portion formed of two separated, closed pockets only, one to receive the big toe and the other to receive the four lesser toes.

2. A stocking having its toe portion formed of two separated, closed pockets.

only, one to receive the bog toe and the other to receive the four lesser toes, the outer wall of the big toe poeket being a straight line continuation of the foot portion of the stockg. 3. A stocking having its toe portion formed of two separated, closed pockets only, one to receive the big toe and the other to receive the four lesser toes, the outer wall of the lesser toe pocket having a side wall conforming to the natural curvature of the smallest toe and a forward wall 'defined by the posititon of the ends of the four leswr toes in natural weight carrying posititon.

4. A stocking having its toe portion formed of two separated, closed pockets only, one to receive the big toe and the other to receive the four lesser toes, the inner walls of said pockets being associated'with separating and spacing means, whereby the big toe is held spaced from the 'four lesser toes, as in the natural posititon of the foot in weight carrying position.

5. A stocking having its toe portion formed of two separated, closed pockets` only, one for the big toe and the other for the four lesser toes, the inner walls of said pockets being formed by a gusset tending to separate the two pockets and maintain the big .toe spaced from the four lesser toes.

n testimony whereof he afixes his signatute.

e CARL LUVEN. 

